As Arizona veterans struggling with mental health want solutions, a bipartisan bill in the Arizona legislature would put $30 million in grants over three years toward clinical trials using whole-mushroom psilocybin to treat mental health conditions like depression and PTSD. Read more»

The annual pattern of winter depression and melancholy suggests a strong link between your mood and the amount of light you get during the day - but strategies such as light therapy, improved sleep quality and avoiding stimulants may help the circadian rhythm adjust faster. Read more»

While youth mental health was already deteriorating before the coronavirus pandemic, in the two years following the isolation, grief, and anxiety, researchers are finding that a dark wave of depression is washing over the adolescents of America. Read more»

Arizona medical professionals who perform gender-affirming surgery or provide hormonal treatment to transgender or gender nonconforming minors would face felony charges and prison time under a proposed law from northern Arizona legislator Sen. Wendy Rogers. Read more»

Teens today have grown up on the internet, and social media has served as a space where LGBTQ youth in particular can develop their identities. Read more»

The fourth wave of COVID-19 is exacerbating the ongoing crisis for the nursing workforce and has led to burnout for many nurses - as a result, many are quitting their jobs in large numbers all across the country, with 62% of hospitals reporting a nurse vacancy rate higher than 7.5%. Read more»

In Arizona, the push for new technology has led to innovations to help curb loneliness, improve access to health care and track the spread of the disease. Read more»

As restrictions on marijuana use fall and its popularity around the world rises, researchers and therapists are examining its influence on mental health. Some medical experts say cannabis has a negative effect on the psychological well-being of chronic users; however, other researchers say marijuana can alleviate suffering for people with anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Read more»

One issue that has affected Americans across the country is the loss of social connectedness. Even before the pandemic shuttered schools, restaurants and workplaces last spring, an estimated 3 in 5 Americans reported a growing sense of loneliness, according to Cigna’s 2020 Loneliness Index. Read more»

The unprecedented nature of the pandemic undermines how we process information and assess risk. Need proof? Look around. Read more»

Arizona ranks close to last in the nation when it comes to available mental health care providers – a problem that’s been underscored during a pandemic that is increasing anxiety and depression. Read more»

Loneliness has been found to increase the risk of developing dementia by as much as 20%. In fact, loneliness has an influence similar to other more well-established dementia risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, physical inactivity and hearing loss. Read more»

Experts attribute the relatively low suicide rate among Latinos to the culture’s strong family and community support systems, which appear to provide some degree of protection. Read more»

Medical experts link Summertime Seasonal Affective Disorder to the change in seasons, driving insomnia, agitation and intense sadness. It’s more common in hotter climates like Arizona, with its string of triple-digit temperatures, experts say. Heat, light, circadian rhythms and even the empty streets during a sizzling day could be triggers. Read more»

Diabetes, hypertension and depression are the biggest problems facing Arizona counties, according to a new nationwide health index map that also scored counties on whether they tend to be more healthy or less. Read more»